SC seeks CBI response on MBA student's sexual assault complaint

The student told a vacation bench led by Justice A.K. Sikri that the Haryana State police had treated her complaint in a biased manner.

May 26, 2015 09:16 am | Updated 12:36 pm IST - New Delhi

The Court accused the police of having behaved in an insensitive manner to the victim, asking her probing questions immaterial to the investigation. Photo: Sushil Kumar Vermaa

The Court accused the police of having behaved in an insensitive manner to the victim, asking her probing questions immaterial to the investigation. Photo: Sushil Kumar Vermaa

Describing the matter as "serious", the Supreme Court on Monday asked the Haryana government to respond to a plea by an MBA student at Jindal Global University for CBI investigation, alleging that she was subjected to blackmail and repeated sexual assaults by senior students.

She said her explicit pictures were posted online by her assailants.

The student, through senior advocate Indira Jaising, told a vacation bench led by Justice A.K. Sikri that the State police had treated her complaint in a biased manner.

The bench issued notice to the Haryana government and the CBI on the student's petition and scheduled a hearing for Wednesday. It asked the Haryana Police to submit a probe report.

Ms. Jaising contended that though the FIR was registered on April 11, none of the relevant provisions of the Information Technology Act were invoked in the case despite preliminary investigation showing the crime being committed largely using computers and mobiles. She argued that the police had felt no need for calling in a cyber expert.

The senior counsel claimed her client had suffered online blackmail, criminal intimidation and rape at the hands of her seniors, who have been arrested, over a period of time.

She claimed one of the accused first befriended her in the campus and then made her send explicit pictures on the mobile phone. Afterwards, he exploited her and allowed his friends also to join him.

Ms. Jaising further accused the police of having behaved in an insensitive manner to the victim, asking her probing questions immaterial to the investigation.

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